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Monday, 05 February 2018

F. Frattini on Immigration and the future of the Mediterranean Region

On Monday, February 5, 2018 a conference was organized by the Institute for the Mediterranean of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) on: “Immigration and the future of Mediterranean Region: a common EU challenge” with guest speaker Mr.Franco Frattini, Special Representative of the OSCE-Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, former Minister of Foreign affairs of Italy.

Professor Spyridon Flogaitis, Director of the EPLO gave the welcome address and Ambassador Sotirios Varouxakis, Director of the Institute for the Mediterranean introduced the subject and moderated a short discussion at the end.

Acknowledged members of the Greek and the Italian community honored the EPLO with their presence: Ms Vassiliki Thanou, Prosecutor, Director of the Legal Department of the Prime Minister’s office, former caretaker Prime Minister of Greece and former President of the Supreme Court of Greece , Mr Evangelos Venizelos, MP and former Dep. Prime Minister, Ms Dora Bakogiannis, MP and former Minister, Ms Xeni Dimitriou, Supreme Court prosecutor, Mr A. Randos Vice-President of the Council of State, H.E. the Italian Ambassador in Athens Mr Efisio Luigi Marras, H.E. the Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova in Greece, Mr Anatol Vangheli, Mr Dimitris Kammenos, MP, Mr A. Pottakis Ombudsman of Greece, as well as  many diplomats, judges, lawyers and the academia teachers and  students of the Italian State School of Athens.

The audience followed with interest the various topics addressed by the speaker among which: the issue of immigration as an issue that provokes problems of mutual trust between the member States of the EU, on the necessity of a careful assessment of asylum seekers, also taking into consideration  global security issues, the perspective of an Erasmus program for African students which creates a new era, also in financial terms, for the countries of origin of migrants, as well as the need for the European authorities, as already highlighted by the South African president Zuma, to choose between the free entrance of  African goods in Europe tax free, and the opening of Europe to young Africans in search of a different perspective in life. 

tags: Frattini, Immigration, OSCE, Institute for the Mediterranean